Apparently, an apartment above the Downbeat Cafe erupted in flames Saturday, rudely and smokily interrupting Jed Berk's blimp building workshop at Machine Project. The boutique La Dita and the Downbeat have some serious water damage going on, so they're closed for repairs! Craptastic! 

I just rang up the Downbeat and a defeated-sounding Dan Drozdenko picked up, and told us that the iconic cafe did indeed suffer sog. His primary concern is having the repairs done "safely, legally and properly," so no date of re-open is set. He sounds like he needs a hug.

Machine Project is fine, but sent out a notice saying:

"Enjoy Machine while you can - we're always teetering on the edge of disaster!...That's all for now, we'll send an update when the plague of locust arrive."

If the block has a peanut butter cookie sale as a benefit, I think they'd do just fine. Even if I were the only one attending.  

Oh glorious Thursday: Mister Doug Jones is performing his "People Mover" at the Upright Citizen's Brigade . I wish to be in attendance. 

Doug is lean, boyish chap with a dry sense of humor, and his show apparently follows one bloke on his quest to work.   Being that I spend approx 14 hours per week of work-mandated ass-flattening behind the wheel of a Subaru, I'm fully down for some commute commiseration. Oh, the misery! (And no, cleverpants, I do not live in Norwalk or Bellflower- the Eastside to Westside commute is just That. Awful.)